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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29387826">Working For Intel</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryanssance/pseuds/Ry'>Ry (ryanssance)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Gen, Light Angst, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:00:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,445</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29387826</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryanssance/pseuds/Ry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason picks up a temporary side gig at Gotham Library for intel but someone seems to be watching his every move.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jason Todd/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>[Y/N]: Your Name; [Y/H/C]: Your Hair Colour; [Y/E/C]: Your Eye Colour</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In Jason’s mind, this was not supposed to be hard. All he needed was to spend a couple of weeks at most in the Gotham Library as the library technician to catch the hacker using the public computer to communicate with Gotham’s B-List villains. The pattern so far had been sporadic, but he hoped with all his might he could wrap up this mission soon. Sitting ducks was one of his least favourite hobbies, though he was patient enough. Plus, library techs just sit around most of the time anyway, as long as he could get his USB into the library’s central database system, the catching would be easy to do.</p><p>With a sigh, Jason pulled on the grand doors to the building, the smell of old books welcoming him into what could potentially be the weirdest stake-out he has done. </p><p>He approached the counter with a tiny smile, hoping to look a little more lively to at least play the part of someone who wants to be hired. The middle-aged man with glasses and a slightly balding head waves him forward as the girl in front of him leaves. </p><p>“What can I do for you today, young man?” </p><p>Jason slipped his resume on the counter, “I was hoping you guys had an opening for the library tech position?” </p><p>The clerk picked up his paper, pushing his glasses up to get a better view of the size-twelve font, “Hm, it seems you are suitable for the technician position but unfortunately we already have a wonderful technician here. If you are still interested, I have a spot available as the library assistant. You’ll mainly do clerk duties here at the front desk, cataloguing, and re-shelving books.” </p><p>
  <em>Shit. </em>
</p><p>Camouflaging his distaste with the bump in his plan, Jason flashed his best charming smile, “Sounds like a good start to me.” </p><p>“Alright then, if you’ll just follow me I’ll get you to fill out the paperwork on the side here...” </p><p>Jason peeked over his shoulders at the mass library behind him, eyes scanning the computer section real quick before turning back to follow the clerk. </p><p>The ink haphazardly scrawled across the pages of the hiring form, but Jason was less than bothered by his penmanship. His eyes continued to scan over for any changes or odd-looking individuals at the computers. </p><p>“You seem really interested in computers. Don’t you worry, I’m sure you’ll catch them,” the clerk smiled as he glanced over the documents, making sure they were filled out appropriately.</p><p>Jason diverted his attention to the man, “Sorry?” </p><p>Did he know about the hacker?</p><p>“[Y/N], our library technician,” the clerk chuckled. “They’re usually hiding doing their own thing until someone or a computer calls for them. But I know you really wanted the tech position, so if you ever catch them, you should ask them about it. If they’re up for it, I’m sure they won’t mind letting you tackle a few of their duties.” </p><p>Jason nodded, noting the so-called, [Y/N] he would potentially need to suck up too. </p><p>“Right this way, Jason. I’ll give you a quick tour,” The librarian waved him along as they went around the different sections of the library, the man relying on small talk to get them through the mandatory training. Jason said very little, but the librarian’s name is Henry and he has a daughter at Gotham City High. </p><p>“So where’s the server room?” Jason asked so casually, hoping he wouldn’t be questioned. </p><p>“Oh it’s in the corridor next to the counter, but [Y/N] has the keys to it most of the time. I know very little about tech, so I don’t bother,” Henry chuckles. “Anyways, so that’s about it with the tour. If you want, we can have you start tomorrow, I’ll get you through the basics of cataloguing and re-shelving-”</p><p>Jason nodded with a smile as his eyes scanned over the library once more. The feeling of someone watching him led his eyes to the second-floor mezzanine where a figure was casually leaning against the banister, eyes on the book at hand. </p><p>He squinted at the book, it was some fictional crime book by an author he wasn’t familiar with.</p><p>“How does nine-o'clock sound?” </p><p>Jason turned his attention back to Henry with a nod, “Yeah, uh, 9 sounds good!” </p><p>Henry dismissed Jason and went about helping someone at the counter, leaving Jason to look for the figure on the mezzanine. You were still there but the book was hanging in your hands as you watched him with a raised brow. </p><p>Jason noted the way your fingers curled under your chin in a resting position. The way your [Y/E/C] eyes followed his every movement. The black hood of your zip-up encased most of your head, leaving a few strands of [Y/H/C] hair to hang out uncovered. He squinted at you and you did the same. </p><p>Both of you had harsh judging eyes but Henry’s voice broke him out of his staring contest, “Whatcha lookin’ at, son?”</p><p>His attention snapped to the man who had a goofy smile waiting for him, “Who’s that?” </p><p>He pointed to the mezzanine, and Henry looked to find who he was pointing at, only to scrunch his face up briefly before chuckling, “There’s no one there.” </p><p>Jason was quick to look over, eyes searching for the figure that perhaps Henry might have missed but he was right, you were gone. Jason smiled and shook his head, quietly uttering an apology before he bid his goodbye. The small chill of Gotham’s weather sent a shiver down Jason’s spine as he walked out. He wasn’t liking where this was going. </p><p>The next day went by quite uneventfully. Being a librarian assistant was one of the easiest things he has ever had to do, and to be quite honest it was bittersweet. He didn’t mind the “time away” from his huge monitors and patrols, but he also missed his huge monitors and nightly patrols... Henry had dropped by to check on the library to make sure it was “still functioning and lively”, to which Jason chuckled and went with the wholehearted joke. </p><p>One of the perks with having to cart and shelve dozens of books by the hour gave Jason the chance to reminisce on books he had already read and to note down future materials he wanted to read when he got free time next. </p><p>Jason mindlessly hummed as he scanned the books on the shelf for where “Anna Karenina” by Tolstoy would go. His finger brushed against a beige binding of “The Essential Gandhi”, pulling it out to re-shelve back in the spirituality section.</p><p>As his eyes returned to the empty nook on the shelf, he makes eye contact with someone on the other side. Cursing quietly under his breath, he squinted. He recognized the parts of your facial features that were not obscured by the shelf or the books. He put Tolstoy’s book in its place before running over to the next aisle to ask if you needed help with something, but you were already gone. A faint cotton fragrance lingered in your place. </p><p>Jason’s jaw clenched, returning to his trolley to push the single book back to its rightful place. As he parked the cart against a column, he reached for the beige book from earlier, but his hand grip at nothing. Looking down, he noticed the book was missing, he makes a quick turn around to see if it had fallen out on the small trip across the library but there was nothing in his trail. </p><p>With a small huff, Jason wheeled the cart back to the side of the reception desk, carefully parking and locking the brakes to ensure it would not get jostled by the foot traffic. </p><p>Two children came up with big bright smiles, a small stack of books in one hands, “Can we check these out please?” </p><p>Jason smiled, running their library cards through the computer system and then proceeded to scan the barcodes on the books. </p><p>“Remember to bring them back by the end of next week,” Jason raised a brow at the kids, watching as they nodded excitedly. He nodded back and stamped the due date on the card stocks inside each respective cover. </p><p>He handed them back the books, to which they cheerfully thanked him and took off. As they hurried out the doors of the library, Jason felt as though someone had been watching him. Scanning over the computer section across from the reception, he caught a pair of [Y/E/C] eyes boring into him from one of the computers furthest away. </p><p>
  <em>You again...</em>
</p><p>Jason disliked being stared at in just about any situation, especially when the person staring left him feeling unsettled. It made him want to writhe in his spot, like a child in the principal’s office after misbehaving on the playground. </p><p>In an attempt to scare you off, Jason just... smiled. He smiled and waved watching as a certain discomfort dawned on you. Your [Y/E/C] eyes disappeared behind slits as your eyebrows knitted together. You brought the book up an inch to hide behind, leaving only the top of your head visible. Your [Y/H/C] hair was neatly pulled back today and as his eyes travelled down, casting down on the book that went missing earlier from his cart. You were reading from it. </p><p>Jason felt his flight-or-fight instincts kick in, ready to crack down to you with had the audacity to watch him like a hawk and mess with him while he was on duty. He had a feeling that you were the hacker he was looking for, but just as he was about to walk over and confront them, an old lady waddled up to the counter. </p><p>“Excuse me, young man, do you know where I-I can find the...” the old lady stuttered, her shaky hands fumbling to open a piece of paper in her hands. </p><p>Jason’s eyes darted between the old lady about to lick her finger to you who had now moved to a different seat, staring him down from a new computer. He was ready to excuse himself, but the lady made a noise of excitement. </p><p>“Ah yes! The Masque of Red Death.”</p><p>Confused, Jason looked down at the handwriting she had scrawled over the sheet of paper, “Oh the one by Edgar Allan Poe, I’m sorry” </p><p>The lady smiled, to which Jason nodded, inputting the title into the computer. He looked up in between typing to see if you had moved but you remained stagnant. Jason walked with the lady to find the book before returning to the desk. His eyes were quick to scan the computers, searching for your head of [Y/H/C] hair but they were gone. </p><p>He opened the gate to the desk. As he passed through, he noticed the beige book had been returned to the cart, neatly held up against the metal shelf. </p><p>Jason was not liking the game of hide and seek this person was playing. With a bitter taste on his tongue, he returned to work. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A misunderstanding leads to a bit of a tussle between you and Jason. You see right through his b.s. and now he’s having a hard time getting on your good side.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There you were again. Jason stifled a yawn at the counter as he sat on the edge of his seat, eyes intently watching the side of your hooded figure at the computer. You were typing away, the only parts of you that moved were your fingers, ever so cautiously concealed in your sleeves. </p><p>Jason walked over, briefly taking in his surroundings. As he neared your seat, he casually leaned in, dropping his volume to a bare whisper, “I know what you’re fucking doing, and it’s not gonna work. I’m watching you.” </p><p>You turned to look at him, eyes squinted but bold with some sort of mixture of annoyance, “What, I can’t use a computer?” </p><p>It was 8:53 in the evening on a Wednesday, yet there were still a lot of people loitering in the library. Jason bit the inside of his cheek upon seeing Google Chrome being opened to a blog article about risotto. There were no other open tabs or windows. He took another scan of the library and he decided to return to patiently waiting for the last of the guests in the library to pack up. Quite frankly, he couldn’t do anything because unless he could prove you were the one sending out communications through library computers or he catches you in the act of, there was little he could do. </p><p>He had spent the last week working opening shifts but there was another point of contact from one of the library computers the other day, and it seems Jason had missed the perpetrator behind it. He had let out his anger by kicking his coffee table with his foot because he was sure it was you. The more he worked, the more he noticed you. He recognized you almost instantly, connecting the dots of the mysterious figure on the mezzanine the day he came in to apply for a job, the one who stared at him from the other side of the bookshelf. He knew you were up to something and you were always near these computers or lurking somewhere watching him. </p><p>If he had a hunch you were the communicator, you probably had a hunch that he was trying to either rat you out or take you down himself. </p><p>Jason wanted the latter, of course, so he kindly asked Henry if he could be moved to night shifts, that way he could “get used to the closing duties” in case Henry needed or wanted the night off. Henry very happily gave him the next few nights, swapping for the day shifts himself so he could have dinner with the kids and his wife for once. </p><p>Autumns in the city tended to be cold and wet, meaning the sunset a lot earlier. By around six or seven o’clock, it would be dark out, but the library didn’t close till nine. He still needed to get his USB into one of the servers so he could download an alarm system that would notify his phone when and if someone attempted to send out messages on unauthorized sites. However, if he catches you tonight, he wouldn’t need to use the USB, nor would he need to shelve books as a front anymore. </p><p>His eyes bored into yours before you flipped him off and went back to reading. Jason’s thoughts swirling in anticipation to catch you in the act when the sound of the printer at the counter went off. He carefully returned back to the counter in time to see the printer spewing some worded pages out, before a girl cleared their throat, “Those would be mine.”</p><p>He looked over his shoulder to see a student in uniform, pushing her glasses up her nose. He nodded, reaching for the finished product, and handed it over, “Just double-check it.” </p><p>She flipped through the pages, pulling the last one out before stapling what he assumed was her essay. </p><p>“Here you go,” she muttered, handing over a dollar bill, “Thank you.” </p><p>Just as she turned around, the door to the library swung open, letting in a cold breeze and the city noise. His eyes were quick to search for you, but to his absolute distaste, you were gone. </p><p>Fuck.</p><p>Jason’s jaw clenched, painfully biting down as he quickly scanned the visible areas of the library for you, just in case you were still around but to his luck, it was just the student and a mom walking out with her child. He looked down at the paper that the student had handed back to read the words, “You’re a shitty librarian,” followed by the middle finger emoji. Jason crumpled the paper and tossed it into the recycling with an angry huff. </p><p>You had a knack for messing with him and he didn’t enjoy being toyed with.</p><p>As the remaining guests exited the library, he walked over to the door to see them out and to lock up before anyone else tried to barge in for a last-minute check-out. He ran over to the computer you had been occupying, to find a book in its place. </p><p>Jason picked it up, flipping it over to the cover to see what it was. Ghost Files of Gotham. </p><p>You were now getting on the last of his nerves and he was beyond pissed. In a last-ditch attempt, he checked the search history on the browser made available by the library, but there was nothing recent. The last log in the history was, “Marlene’s Mouthwatering Risotto”. </p><p>“Fuck!” Jason slammed his fist into the table, causing the mouse and keyboard to jostle. He continued to mutter a string of profanities as he turned off the computer. It was useless. You were too smart. </p><p>Running a hand exasperatedly through his hair, he tugged on the white tuffet.</p><p>“Patience yields focus my ass,” Jason muttered, reiterating the frequent line he was told by Alfred. </p><p>Stomping over to the restock trolley, Jason dumped the stupid book in there before making a return to the computer aisle to shut off all the computers. </p><p>He needed a new plan, and tonight was the night he was gonna say fuck it. He had it in his abilities to do so, so he was gonna do it. The library was empty, it was just him left. He had purposely brought his lock-picking tool to get him into the server room at some point, and tonight was as good as ever.. Jason didn’t think he would use it today, having expected Henry to have stayed or come back to show Jason how to lock up, but from the instructions scrawled on a scrap piece of paper, it was a clear sign that he wasn’t coming back for the night. </p><p>Jason jabbed at the power buttons on each computer, like an extension in an assembly line. Despite his eagerness to get into the server room now, he knew he should get his tasks done first so he could leave without suspicion after getting the software downloaded into the server. He checked for straggling books that might have been left behind, picking up one from the reading room.</p><p>Jason headed back to the counter to grab the other book that was left behind, but again, the book had gone missing, “Not this fucking shit again...” </p><p>For some odd reason, he wasn’t on edge about it, not in a creeped out way anyways. He read the history of Gotham Library and Henry had told him countless times—especially after he asked to switch to night shifts—that there were ghosts in this library. The place was as old as the city itself and Jason kind of believed it. But at the same time, he was just too angry about the slip-up to care. </p><p>With a huff, he stomped over to the children’s section to shelve the book back in its spot. As he turned around, from the spot where he stood, he noticed a sliver of light emitting from the staff hallway. The light had been turned off thereafter Henry left, just something he did on his way out, but that light was coming from a room. </p><p>The servers. </p><p>With a hurried sprint, Jason quietly ran over to the hallway, being cautious as he neared it. Creeping up to the door, he took a peek in case you were inside but it was quiet behind the door. He slowly opened the door to find all the rows of servers, all neat and dust-free.</p><p>This was his chance. He pulled the USB out of his front pocket, determined to get it into the right server. He asked Tim about it when he first got the device off of him, he mentioned something about a “C2OP”. He assumed it was the server type that was wired to the computers. As he found the C section, he made a swift turn into the aisle. </p><p>“C2, C2, C2-C2OP,” he whispered to himself as he bent down with haste. The USB in hand was near the input port when he noticed a book on top of the server, Ghost Files of Gotham. </p><p>Before he could even react, he noticed movement in his peripheral. Jumping back up, he was ready to throw a punch when he saw the figure in full. Dressed in black boots, black cargo pants and a black hoodie, stood you with a very shocked expression which quickly went sour. He was starting to register the quick turn of events, but without so much as a second thought, your foot collided roughly with his abdomen, sending him flying into the wall a few feet back. Jason was quick to push off the wall before you could land a punch. He was very confused but the fuel of being attacked by a stranger overtook his senses. There was no need to even ask any questions by this point. </p><p>With a quick turn of his body, he retaliated with a punch. His arm skillfully jabbed you in the shoulder, causing you to wince but you were far from ready to give up the fight. As he dodged the edge of the server units, he backed between the aisle as you gained on him, throwing rather skilled punches. </p><p>Skilled but still messy, Jason took this to his advantage. He ducked under your next hit, before grabbing your arm and tossing you over his head. You hit the floor hard, the wind knocking right out of you but you quickly picked yourself back up, scrambling out of the server room. As you passed the door frame, Jason reached out, quick to pull you back but you snapped around, elbow colliding with his jaw. </p><p>Man, you were good.</p><p>Jason wasn’t sure where you were headed, but you were trying your hardest to flee and if that didn’t show all the red flags to you being the communicator, he wasn’t sure what did. Before you could pass the threshold of the hallway into the main part of the library, Jason threw himself at you in a tackle. The phone you had pulled out in the midst of running from the server room fell out of your hands, in bright white numbers, 911 was being dialled. Jason was quick to reach over, rushing to hang up before an operator could pick up.</p><p>“If you plan to kill me, just do it already,” you grunted, trying to push him off of you. Writhing underneath his weight, you struggled to turn over.</p><p>Confused, Jason accidentally let up on the weight, giving you a chance to flip over. You thrust your forehead with as much force as you could muster, colliding into his nose. This sent Jason back yet again, giving you the opportunity to free yourself. He opened his eyes in time to fall prey to you lunging at him. With a heavy thud, he found himself underneath you this time.</p><p>“I’m not trying to kill you,” Jason slithered his arm out from under you, using that as his leverage to jab you in the left elbow. You buckled at the sudden force, allowing him to free his leg. Jason sent his knee up into your backside, launching you right off of him. You landed on the carpeted flooring with a groan as you felt his presence leave the floor, “I’m trying to take you down, you suspicious fucker.”</p><p>With the strength from your elbows propping you up, you looked up at him, dazed from hitting your head on the floor. He stood defensively, guarding your only exit out of the corridor but you raised a hand to signal a pause, “You are the only fucking suspect here with all your suspiciousness.”</p><p>Jason froze, you could have taken him down with a swift kick to the knees, but you were finally feeling the pain from all the fighting and struggling. A flash sequence of questions barrelled into his head. This left him feeling incredulous about the whole situation at hand.</p><p>“Suspect? That’s fucking blasphemy, how am I the suspect?” </p><p>He was analyzing little every memory he could but something didn’t add up, “Who are you?” </p><p>Your mouth parted and your eyes closed for a moment, “I work here, dipshit, and I saw you lurking coincidentally around the same time as the communications were being sent out on our computers, and next thing I know, you’re trying to apply for my position. I see you as a threat and I just confirmed that feeling with what I witnessed in the server room with your USB and all.”</p><p>You gave a little cough, pulling yourself to sit up, “You’re trying to hack us completely, aren’t you?”</p><p>“We’re not on the same page—<em>oomf</em>,” you had taken a swift kick at his ankles with a force he wasn’t expecting from you. You were making a run past him, but he was quick to grab your ankle, pulling you down to the floor. You fell with another thud, feet flailing trying to shake him off. </p><p>Jason on his absolute last nerve gave you a rather harsh yank, “WOULD YOU JUST LISTEN, IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!”</p><p>You grew tired of trying to fight him, but he also sounded disgustingly annoyed like he really did have something to say, so you paused. You slowly looked down at the man holding your ankle but you remained tense, ready to move out of the way if he tried something else. </p><p>“What,” you spat. </p><p>He pinched the bridge of his nose from the pain of you butting your head into his nose earlier. </p><p>“What do you think I’m doing?” Jason asked.</p><p>“You were trying to hack into the servers, that’s what you’ve been doing this whole time,” you retorted as if it was super obvious.</p><p>Jason squinted at you, “No one said anything about hacks.”</p><p>You gave an annoyed sigh, “Not direct hacks, but they use of the computer systems to communicate. I don’t know who, drug dealers? Whatever you’re doing, it’s wrong and you can get a lot of people in trouble.” </p><p>“I’m trying to help, it’s why I’m here,” Jason let go of your leg, exasperatedly tugging at the white tuffet again. His hand moved down to his nose where he felt a trickle of blood rushing down his nasal cavity. </p><p>“Shit.”</p><p>You eyed him carefully before slowly retracting your leg and dusted yourself off. </p><p>“We have tissues in the staffroom,” you pointed to the end of the hall. </p><p>The two of you cautiously got up and made your way to the room. You flicked the light on, illuminating the rather dingy looking room. It smelled like the rest of the library but could be mistaken for a rundown apartment’s kitchen. </p><p>Jason took a seat near the door. He watched you maneuver around the other table in the room before opening the cabinet to grab a fresh box of tissues. You tossed it to him before finding a perch against the pale countertop. He ripped open the top of the box, tossing the piece of cardboard aside. Looking up at you, he dabbed at his nose, “So... you work here?” </p><p>There was a pause as you seemingly scrutinized him in his seat, “What’s it to you?” </p><p>Jason chuckled, “To me, you seemed dodgy as fuck. You’re dressed in all black, hoodie up, doing creepy shit like watching me work, stealing books off my cart and lurking around the place, what kind of librarian does that?”</p><p>“I’m not a librarian,” you snapped. Arms were now folded over your chest, lips parted in disbelief—wait, oh—, “I’m the library technician.” </p><p>You must have noticed the tinge of surprise flicker pass because you chuckled but rather darkly, “I’m the one with the position you originally tried to apply for.” </p><p>Jason whispered your name. It was more for himself but from the way you shifted, he knew he messed up big time. In any other situation, he would get into a mental scuffle against himself about not realizing sooner that he had pieced the wrong puzzle together, but his point about your presence and work attire choice threw him off completely.</p><p>As if you can hear his thoughts you scoffed, “Look, I don’t know what kind of stereotype you had in your head but to be completely clear, I work here. I have for a few years now, and yes, I dress like your local emo goth chick from high school, but Henry has never had a bone to pick about it. I’m not needed on the floor the same way everyone else is, so I mind my own business and do what I gotta do when a boomer messes with the wrong settings or a computer glitch out.” </p><p>Jason discarded his bloodied tissue in the trash bin behind him, “So how did you know about the communication?”</p><p>“Are you dense?” You asked rhetorically. </p><p>“I’m the technician, I also patch things and I keep an eye out for firewall breaches and suspicious internet activities. The day someone used a not-so-library-friendly-site to communicate with suspicious people, I knew about it, but by the time I saw the log, it was near closing. I was too late. The same thing happened the last few times, it’s why I was out on the floor more than I usually do, I was trying to catch them in the act.” </p><p>“Then you saw me,” Jason added as he reached for another tissue.</p><p>“Then I saw you. You only caught my eye—my attention because you’re kind of built like a goddamn tree. You’re tall, you have a white streak in your hair and you have... more muscle mass than our usual clientele,” you coughed uncomfortably. </p><p>Jason eyed you for a moment but your eyes were on the clock that ticked quietly on the wall. He wanted to apologize but he decided against it, it was a clear misunderstanding between the two of you so he didn’t feel bad for tackling you after you instigated the fight by kicking him into the wall. </p><p>He chuckled at the thought, “Since when was knowing how to fight one of the requirements to be a library techie?”</p><p>Admittedly, he was a tad bit amused at how well you managed to handle yourself, though clearly not as defined compared to his set of skills, it still took him by surprise. </p><p>The question seemed rhetorical to you so resorted to rolling your eyes, “No one should live in Gotham without knowing basic self-defence.” </p><p>Jason threw his hands up in surrender to your snappy attitude. You were a real grouch and a half and he knew a grouch when he saw one because he was the same way, “I’m not disagreeing with you on that, it’s just not something I would assume off the bat, your kick really knocked the wind out of me for a second.” </p><p>“What do you want?” </p><p>Right to the point, your eyes gauged the man in front of you. You weren’t going to deny that he was attractive, but you were too focused on the whole ordeal regarding the breach in your system to deal with your feelings. Your eyes widened at the sight of him standing up and advancing towards where you were against the counter.</p><p>“I need to get this USB into your server. It’s the only way to track who’s doing it if we aren’t able to catch them in person,” Jason held up the USB as he stopped short a foot from you. </p><p>Your eyes darted to the thumbstick between his fingers and then back at him, memory racing to replay what had gone down moments before the fight started. </p><p>“No.”</p><p>The venom in your voice would have been enough to make a regular guy shake at the knees, but Jason expected so much from you. You were defensive about the server room, defensive about yourself for the right reasons he could only assume, and it seemed like an honest to God last resort of yours to let him bypass you to plant something in your beloved servers that you work so hard to maintain and protect. He watched as your jaw clenched, fists curled into balls at your side, there was something tugging at your nerve and Jason couldn’t tell what it was so he took a step back, just as the doors to the library opened. </p><p>Both of you snapped up from your stare down, you reached for a pair of scissors that hid in a drawer next to you. Jason held up a finger instinctively to pause your movements, which only irritated you some more. </p><p>“Hello?” A voice bellowed from the grand room outside. </p><p>You rolled your eyes at your defensive behaviour when you heard the familiar voice. Jason was about to pull you back as you stalked out without your scissors, but you were already in the hallway. He ran to catch up only to bump into your back. </p><p>“What are you doing out so late, Henry?” You sighed. </p><p>The boss just scratched the back of his head, “I was walking by to see if everything was okay but the lights were still on so I thought I would come in, in case something had happened—Oh Jason! There you are!”</p><p>With a nervous chuckle, Jason waved from behind you, “Hi, Henry, sorry we got caught up talking.”</p><p>Henry had missed the way you were quick to turn around with a small glare, silently asking him to give you some personal space to which he obliged. </p><p>“Well I’m glad you guys finally got to meet, I was worried you would be holed up too late and end up locked in by him,” Henry chuckled, addressing you as he did a quick scan around the library. “You did a good job cleaning up, Jason, just make sure you lock the door after the guests clear out before you clean, otherwise you get the late-comers entering.” </p><p>The two of you paused, Jason looking down at you before looking back at Henry, “Was the door not locked when you came in?” </p><p>Henry furrowed his brows before shaking his head, “It’s your first shift closing, I won’t hold it aga-” </p><p>Jason was about to speak when you had fled his side, making a run for the server room. Your boss stood clueless as he watched Jason pass him for the computers. </p><p>Upon confirming his suspicions, a computer had been left on when he was one hundred percent sure he had turned them all off. He beelined over to you in the server room, just in time to watch you frustratedly smack the metal shelf that held one of the many servers. </p><p>“Is everything okay?” Henry peeked into the room, eyes kind of in awe at the blinking lights as if he hadn’t seen them before. </p><p>Jason looked down at your slumped figure, “We’re okay, Henry.” </p><p>You lifted your head before turning to look at your boss with a cheerful smile, “We got some last-minute stuff to do so just head home, I’ll help the newbie lock up properly.” </p><p>Henry nodded, taking his leave as Jason approached to see him out, locking the door behind him before returning to the server room. With your back against the wall and one foot propped up, you glared at the floor ahead, “They were in here while we were fighting.”</p><p>Had Jason not been paying attention, he would have missed your words. </p><p>“They were in here while we were talking in the break room,” you repeated, louder this time. </p><p>He flinched slightly at the sharp raise in your voice, but there was nothing he could say. He was equally as angry at the fact that they were probably hiding under the desk when the two of you fell into the hallway. The fact that they had been this close to catching them yet they were probably just laughing to themselves as he overheard the arguing that the two of you had unfolded. </p><p>Jason cleared his throat, snapping you from your trance, “Just put the USB in.” </p><p>You watched him as he pulled the USB from his pocket, arm extended with the offer of his thumbstick.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>There you went again, stubborn and protective once again. If looks could kill, Jason would be on the floor by now with the way your sharp glare bore into his eyes. You waved your hand in dismissal, but Jason just rolled his eyes, “It’s not a virus, I’m trying to help.” </p><p>He waved his hand, trying to persuade you to accept the USB. Jason grew impatient, opting to just shove it into your hand, “I’m giving you this, do with it what you wish. I don’t have it in my heart to destroy your precious servers, I just want to catch who’s hacking the systems, and this will help me by alerting me directly.” </p><p>Your finger clasped around the blue thumbstick, watching him with a tinge of shock as he turned around. </p><p>“What’s in it for you?” You asked, causing Jason to pause in his tracks, “Why do you want to catch them?” </p><p>“It’s kind of my job,” was all he said before taking his leave. “I’m gonna finish closing up.” </p><p>Jason exited the server room, leaving you to dwell with the USB in hand. Your eyes catch the blinking of the server light next to you. You shook your head and pocketed the little device, confident in your choice to be against the task he has left you with. You were not going to let him win, especially not when you don’t trust him. </p><p>His job? That implies he has another job somewhere and you didn’t like not knowing much about him, not being able to find him on social media to even get the slightest sense of who you were working with. For all you know, he purposely left the door unlocked. He might as well work for the communicator if he isn’t the communicator himself. They could be a team... </p><p>The rest of the night went by quietly, the two of you locked up, checking crevices and behind doors of meeting rooms to make sure no one was hiding in the library, despite it being unlikely the communicator would have stayed behind after carrying out their malevolent task. Jason locked the door, pushing against it to ensure it was locked, before giving you a quick glance. </p><p>With a small nod, you left him on the steps of the library, making your way down the street. Jason’s eyes lingered, watching your figure shrink away. </p><p>Jason stood there, hoping to whatever good spirit you would choose to do the right thing. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Subscribe for notif when I finally get to writing/posting the final installment! Sorry for the delay :')</p></blockquote></div></div>
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